


Standing in the Shooting Stars

by MayQueen517



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Behind the Scenes, Gen, Gipsy Danger - Freeform, Jaegers, Tendo is bros with everyone okay?, gen - Freeform, jaegercon gift exchange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-17
Updated: 2013-08-17
Packaged: 2017-12-23 20:20:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/930719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MayQueen517/pseuds/MayQueen517
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I want to hear about her. What makes her special."</p><p>"Everything, Miss Mori," </p><p> </p><p>(Or, 5 conversations Mako and Tendo had about Gipsy Danger and one they didn't)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Standing in the Shooting Stars

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LinaLeah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LinaLeah/gifts).



> So this is my (very nearly) late gift for linaleah! They asked for something involving Gipsy Danger and especially Mako, so I really wanted some behind the scenes stuff for this. This was a labor of love from beginning to end. Happy Jaegercon, Linaleah!!
> 
> A few notes:  
> *Alison Choi is Tendo's wife in canon and they do have a young son.  
> *Leticia and Avery are OCs that I created for this universe and if you're curious, I imagine Leticia to be played by Michelle Rodriguez, and Avery to be played by Janelle Monae. <3  
> *Pervach is basically Russian moonshine.  
>  
> 
> Immense thanks goes to verbosewordsmith for making this better. <3

The first time Mako hears about Gipsy Danger is from Tendo Choi. She finds herself in LOCCENT with the man, sharing a cup of strong, green tea that isn't anything like home but warms her hands. They look out over the frame of the Jaeger, barely finished and she finds herself asking about her.

"Tell me about her," she says, soft and nearly into her cup as Tendo hums a questioning noise, looking up to the nearly finished Jaeger. He watches the sparks raining down on the Shatterdome floor below. They're working on her shoulders, great beams of support that will hold the spotlights. 

They've talked, briefly; usually nothing more than greetings exchanged and she's always found something about his presence is comforting. He sits back in his own chair, hands cradling his mug and she can see the rosary that winds around his wrist and hand and wonders about it. 

"Well, she's the first of the Mark-3s, which I think is pretty special," he says, warmth in his eyes and voice, "and they're nearly finished with her."

"No," Mako says, meeting his eyes and fighting the urge to pull her knees up. He takes a swallow of his tea, nearly a gulp before she shakes her head, hair falling into her face, "I want to hear about her. What makes her special."

"Everything, Miss Mori," Tendo says, surprise glinting across his face. He turns in his chair, facing her while LOCCENT bustles around them, "She's got a new I-19 Plasmacaster so it'll cauterize the wound immediately. Helps stop the spread of Kaiju Blue," he says, as she feels her eyes widen. She's heard the stories about Kaiju Blue; about the violent and quick death it brings and the struggle to prevent the spread. 

"So she is energy-based?"

"More than the others but she'll hold her own in a brawl," he says in amusement. She finishes her tea, holding the empty mug close to her chest.

"They always do, don't they?" she says pensively.

"Now you're getting it."

===  
Tendo comes back from break and finds that LOCCENT's gained a guest. Mako sits in his chair, watching the techs finish repairs on Gipsy Danger. Her elbows rest on the desk, propping her chin on one fist. The colors from below spread across her face, highlighting the point of her nose as she watches at the people working.

In his hands are three cups of coffee, a bagel for himself, a cup of tea and a croissant for Louise. He hands both off to Louise, giving an absent nod in response to her murmured thanks. He watches Mako for a moment, debating on the best approach before he settles on clearing his throat and offering an easy smile.

She startles, whirling around in the chair before she reaches and steadies herself on the edge of the desk, peering up at him with wide eyes and a sheepish expression. He carefully sets his coffee down, wondering how she's ended up here and if Marshall Pentecost knows.

"Not aimin' for my job, are you?" he says as he pulls up another chair. She huffs, briefly amused, before shaking her head.

"I am waiting on the Marshall," she says, moving to get out of his chair as he waves her off. He sits down heavily and hands off another coffee cup with a wave before he turns back to Mako.

"Meeting?"

"Video conference," she says, shifting around in her chair restlessly. They can hear the techs yelling to one another and the sound of metal on metal.

"Two Shatterdome visits in two months; aren't we lucky?" he teases, seeing her shrug. She covers her mouth in a yawn before she settles back into the chair. 

They watch the crew begin work on Gipsy Danger's leg, repairing the coils and a spray of sparks falls over the floor and workers hanging from the hulking body.

"What d'you think?" he asks, cradling a cup of coffee while resting his bagel on his leg.

"I think they were careless," she says as Tendo splutters, a bark of laughter leaving his lips as she looks over at him, watching him intently. He takes a sip of his coffee, shaking his head.

"I think the word the Marshall used was 'reckless'," Tendo says as Mako hides her own laugh into her sleeve. They watch the repairs for a moment as Mako turns to him, meeting his eyes steadily. He waits for the inevitable question.

"What happened?"

"They pushed her too hard; she doesn't move how they want her to, but they always seem to forget that. The claws ripped it apart like it was nothing, but the boys got it to safety along with destroying the Kaiju," Tendo says, thinking of Yancy's grimace of pain and how Raleigh had supported him all the way to medical. 

"Careless," Mako repeats as Tendo makes a face, holding his hands up as if in surrender.

"Reckless, like the Marshall said. We had a chopper with a view of the Kaiju and they didn't get away like we recommended. But," Tendo says, seeing her frown, "they took the Kaiju down and they weren't injured as badly as it could have been."

"Is that enough?" Mako asks, eyes careful.

"It kind of has to be. But, yeah, I think it is. Sometimes you can't do things by the book, you have to improvise and the Beckets are some of the best at that," Tendo says as Mako nods. He hears a cleared throat and when they both turn, they see the Marshall standing there, a soft smile on his face directed at Mako.

Mako face lights up in response before she inclines her head to Tendo in a gesture of respect, one that he returns carefully as he watches the two walk out of LOCCENT; Mako talking while the Marshall listens. Tendo smiles to himself, turning back to his desk, ready to work once again.

===

The years pass quickly; training with Sensei, classes at the Academy, traveling to the other Shatterdomes and learning what keeps them running keeps her busy until she graduates.

Mako throws herself into a restoration project, drafting ideas from the Jaegers that came before and the ones still in production. She travels out to Oblivion Bay with a small crew and a particular Jaeger in mind. It has been two years since the Beckets faced Knifehead and in the dust and shadows, Mako sees her. Gipsy Danger is still beautiful, though she seems lost and lonely and Mako's heart goes out to her. She looks at the crew and points her out. 

It takes next to no time at all to get Gipsy loaded and ready for transport, but with her hand on the rusted Jaeger leg, Mako thinks that it has been entirely too long already. The flight back to the Shatterdome is long and boring, save for the tablet braced against her leg, fingers flying over it; trying to get her thoughts about the project out before she forgets everything.

Once they are back at the Shatterdome, Mako climbs the ladder to the observation deck, watching the motionless, damaged Jaeger and she thinks about the stories of Jaegers moving without a pilot. She crosses the catwalk to enter the Conn-Pod, pulling out her iPod almost as an afterthought.

She loses herself in the Conn-Pod, in the music piping in from her ear-buds. Her mind is filled with the stories of massive hands moving in the dead of night and she murmurs them to herself and Gipsy as she explores the rigs and circuits that are still intact. 

Her hands lovingly pass over the corroded cords of the synapse systems, pulling them out of their hookups as she makes a note to herself to order new ones. She's just stepping through the hatch when she sees Tendo standing nearby. 

His eyes are guarded as he looks over cords in her hands, peering through the hatch with interest.

"So this is your project, huh?" he asks as she steps back into the Conn-Pod, letting him step through. She sees complicated emotions flying across his profile as he touches the pieces of the pod that are still intact. Neither of them look at the torn and ragged edges. She takes a step to stand beside Tendo, looking to him as his gaze lingers on the damage.

"We will rebuild her," she says, placing a hand on Tendo's arm, "But we won't forget."

They share a glance, Tendo nodding as they turn back to the damage left behind by Knifehead. They silently exit the pod, closing the hatch together before she stands and peers out over the rest of the Shatterdome. 

"What do you think?" she asks, looking at him as he blinks and tilts his head. He seems amused as he smiles slowly. He picks up the synapse cords and examines them, nodding once.

"I think you're going to need a brand new synapse system."

===  
He gets the schematics for Striker Eureka on the same day that Mako, the Marshall, and Gipsy Danger are brought to Hong Kong. It's the first of the last months in the Shatterdome, preparing to end the Kaiju War. At least, he hopes that's what will happen.

Tendo finds Mako with some of Gipsy Danger's crew, detailing what she wants done as he steps up. He sees Jim and Avery who were with the original crew in Anchorage and gives them a respectful nod. Jim tosses a wave as he walks off, making his way back inside the bay as Tendo catches sight of other familiar faces. 

"We do not have much longer," Mako says, looking out at them and for a moment Tendo can only see the Marshall in her place, "I want the suspension taken care of first and then we will work on her heart."

Everyone nods and Avery hangs back, giving him a broad smile, "Tendo Choi," she says, shaking her head. It's been years since they've spoken. The bow-tie at her throat nearly matches one of his own and they share a grin.

"Avery Sharpe," he says, clapping her shoulder. They fall into an easy conversation. They're interrupted twice by other techs who Avery dispatches with confidence.

"Moved up in the world, huh?"

"Mori promoted me to Chief Engineer for Gipsy Danger, yeah," she says, a fond grin directed at Mako. Mako is currently talking more with her hands than anything, he watches her grand gestures and eager nods from the engineers surrounding her.

"Everyone knows she's the best for the job," says Leticia from behind her. She rests her chin on Avery's covered hair, her own riot of curls barely contained under a bandanna, "Mori just listened to us when we told her."

Tendo laughs once at that, listening to the two of them discuss the deactivation of Sydney's Shatterdome while he waits for Mako to come over. She takes her time, walking over with her eyes on the blueprints in his hands.

"They finally came!" she exclaims as he hands them over. Avery and Leticia step over, studying the blueprints with their heads bowed together. Tendo watches the three women as Avery points out the K-Stunner rockets and Leticia gives her a broad, excited grin that reminds him of Alison. The blueprints are meticulously detailed, notations everywhere from Striker's own Chief Engineer about the new suspension system and Mako pores over them eagerly. 

"We could adjust her suspension; wouldn't be a Mark-5, but it'll give her some more flexibility," says Leticia, pointing to one of the notations; Avery snorts beside them.

"God knows if Becket's getting back into that Conn-Pod, she'll need it," Avery says as Tendo gives his own snort. A fond memory comes to him of the arguments that used to crop up between Avery and Raleigh. He mostly remembers Avery gritting her teeth as Raleigh egged her on. 

"Adjust her suspension in the legs to be looser than that in the arms. Keep the right arm tighter to compensate for the elbow rocket," Mako says decisively and the three technicians around her nod, going to the Jaeger to start talking to their crews.

"You run a tight ship, Ms. Mori," Tendo says as Mako hums in agreement.

"I learned it all from Sensei," she says fondly, looking up to the newly fitted elbow rocket. 

"That you did," Tendo says, watching the workers begin to rig up and start to scale the legs of their beloved Jaeger.

"Avery worked on the old girl from the time we started designing her, you know," Tendo finds himself saying suddenly as Mako looks to him. Tendo remembers Avery from the Academy and her disappointment about being unsuited for the Drift and piloting a Jaeger. He let her try a position in LOCCENT before she rediscovered her love for the new Jaeger she'd desperately wanted as her own. 

"The change in suspension - do you think it will be enough?"

"I think you will make sure it is, Mako," he says when she looks to him, a smile crossing her face. She hugs her tablet to her chest as she tilts her head back as far as it can go, looking to the giant hand and fingers.

"Better than new," she murmurs as Tendo agrees with her, smiling once to himself as the crew works around them, leaving each to their own memory of Gipsy Danger.

===

She codes the sword by herself, late at night. She sits, on one of the massive feet of Gipsy Danger with the tablet, coding it and rendering the design. The Jaeger before her offers the promise of everything she has wanted since she lost her family. She goes to bed, dreaming of Kaiju Blue, of the roar of Onibaba and a sword in her hand.

The next morning, she offers the code and design to Avery and the group of engineers she's accumulated over the years. It is a longer process than she had anticipated, guiding the fabrication and eventual installation and implementation of her code.

"Lookin' good." She hears him before she sees him. Tendo stands just behind her, watching the slow-going progress.

Mako turns, smiling at him. He looks tired and she knows it's not just his young son keeping him up, but the massive coordination effort of bringing Striker Eureka and Cherno Alpha to Hong Kong.

"Thank you," she says, watching Miguel tag Leticia for one of the parts, a coordinated effort that has them switching with the rest of the crew so that others are able to take a break. Leticia and Miguel switch with practiced ease, swapping ropes and harnesses as if they were still on the ground. Tendo smiles as they watch, looking over the entire operation and Mako feels a rush of fondness for everyone working on the Jaegers and within the Shatterdome. 

"The only thing left," she says, "is her heart. Extra shielding," she says distracted, thinking of the metal that came from Coyote Tango. She thinks of Sensei, as she always does when thinking about Coyote Tango, and his trip to Alaska, searching for Raleigh Becket along the Wall.

"Always a good thing," Tendo says idly before they stand in silence. Mako thinks about Alaska and finds herself considering Raleigh Becket's own last battle.

"Tell me about the Knifehead attack."

"What?" he says, blinking at her as she bites her lip. She resists the urge to curl a lock of hair around her finger, an old nervous habit. 

"I have studied all the other Kaiju battles involving Mr. Becket. Save for the Knifehead attack," she says, pulling out the file and looking through the pages there. 

Tendo stares at her for an extended, tense moment before he sighs, roughly rubbing his hands over his face before he focuses back on her.

"What do you want to know?" he asks, finally. 

"Where did they go wrong?" 

"It wasn't about right or wrong," Tendo says as Mako arches an eyebrow. She knows, from Sensei and the file, that they were supposed to hold the Miracle Mile, to save the city rather than the boat, something that had sat wrong with the Becket brothers.

"It was that at that point, we could tell that the Kaiju had started to figure out our weaknesses. Knifehead _knew_ to go for the Conn-Pod and once that happened? Pyrrhic victory."

Mako watches him, his fingers rubbing over the smooth beads of the rosary wrapped around his wrist. It belonged to his grandfather, one of the few things Tendo had been able to save after K-Day. She considers the report and how it matches to Tendo's words, how the brothers had decided to risk saving a boat of ten people and the ten million people at risk. 

The urge to save anyone - be it one person or a million people - is the one thing that ties them all together. It is, she thinks, the same thing that prompted Sensei to find and adopt her. Mako makes a note in the margin of the file on the Knifehead battle.

"The thing is," Tendo says suddenly, breaking her out of her reverie, "it wasn't wrong, but it maybe wasn't the best decision made by the Beckets. But those are the decisions you make in a fight."

Mako mulls it over as she nods thoughtfully, making eye contact as Tendo clears his throat.

"It was the decision they made, and I think that it was the right one," Tendo says, fingers curled in on the rosary as Mako tilts her head back, lapsing into a comfortable silence as they watch the progress above them.

===  
Raleigh has never been in an empty Shatterdome before and he can't say he enjoys the experience now. The quiet is deafening, as if his brain can't decide what he should be hearing now; quiet was something he got accustomed to up on the wall. Not here in the Shatterdome.

He can see small tokens left by the crews in the bays of Cherno, Crimson and Striker. He walks slowly to Gipsy's bay, her crew gathered around, exchanging quiet conversation as he eases through handshakes, hugs, and quiet thanks before he ever reaches Mako and Tendo. Tendo's cheeks and eyes have a bright flush from the pervach that Cherno's crew have made this time.

Raleigh smiles to himself, settling into Mako's side as she talks to Tendo. The drift lingers still, leaving him with the urge reassure himself that she's still there. Nearby, he sees Herc sitting with Max, holding onto him as Max whines and paws at Herc's arms.

"For me, it was her heart," Mako says, a soft smile across her face. He can feel the contentment in a soft, hazy sort of way, "I loved her heart first and best, even as I watched her being built."

"You saw her being built?" Raleigh asks in surprise. Mako nods, leaning into him as she sips from her glass with the barest hint of a grimace. 

"I had just gone to the Jaeger Academy on Kodiak; the Marshall would bring me to the Shatterdome if he had a conference. Her heart is what I noticed first."

"I loved all of them," Tendo says, gesturing widely. A woman slides her arms around his shoulders, holding onto him when he threatens to tip over, dark hair falling over her shoulder as she and Mako share a laugh. Raleigh blinks, looking at her intently before he realizes that it's Alison. He leans back into Mako more, listening.

"No, I did! They were _all_ my favorites. But, oh, our girl was the loveliest, wasn't she Mako?"

"She really was," Mako says as they watch Alison pull Tendo off of the stool, laughing as they make their way through goodbyes and Raleigh finds himself the target of one of Tendo's drunken hugs. Alison supports him as they walk down the hallway, half a line of some retro song echoing through the hall and into the bay. Mako snickers as Raleigh shakes his head.

"What was your favorite part of her?" Mako asks him. Raleigh thinks, feeling the sore spots that have begun to make themselves known after the battle and a day and a half in the hospital bed with Mako wrapped around him. 

"Everything," Raleigh says, smiling, "her heart, her hands, her legs. Everything about her was perfect."

"Yeah," Mako says, placing her head onto his uninjured shoulder, the warmth and closeness just as comforting as it was the day before, "everything was."

Despite empty bays and missing friends, Raleigh can still hear the echos of their family and it is this, he thinks, that he will miss about Gipsy Danger most.


End file.
